Hope for Breast Cancer: Interview with Angie Lima – Podcast Episode 42

Natural Living Family Podcast, Episode 42 – Interviewing Angie Lima

The contents of this presentation are for informational purposes only and are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This presentation does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

 

[0:00 – 1:10] Prelude

Angie: I typically will never refer to it as my diagnosis or things of that nature, because I feel like that’s giving it power, and that’s giving it life.

Dr. Z: So true.

Angie: And so, with this, it’s always been my healing journey, because it’s just a way to get well. This diagnosis, this disease, if you will, was just my body’s way of saying, “Hey, something has got to change. Whatever we’re doing right now isn’t working. And so, this is your red light. Stop, readjust, and turn around.” So, it’s always just been a healing journey for that purpose. And it’s funny, because in a way I take it almost defensive when I hear people talk about their diagnosis. And they label it, and they own it as their own, or it has possession over them.

Mama Z: Right.

Angie: That’s not the case. That was never the case for me. This was another path that God wanted me to go down, and for whatever reason, praying for purpose and figuring out what my journey was. You know, I have taken the road less traveled in many aspects of my life. But one was I had just been praying for purpose and that something big would happen. Never could I have imagined that that would come in the form of a diagnosis. But it really has given me that purpose that I wanted. I asked God to help me grow, and it started to rain. That’s just how you look at that rainstorm.

 

[1:20 – 1:52] Intro

Dr. Z: Hi, this is Dr. Z.

Mama Z: And Mama Z.

Dr. Z: Each week we invite you into our home to talk about how you can master the art and science of natural living. And we share the same tips our family uses each and every day to enjoy an abundant life. And you are going to love today’s talk.

Mama Z: So, come on in and get comfortable. After all, you are one of the family, our natural living family.

Dr. Z: But before we dive into all the fun, we’re excited to invite you to a special event.

 

[1:51 – 3:19] Special Invitation: Hope for Breast Cancer

Mama Z: Within the past few years, we’ve lost Eric’s grandma, as well as my aunt, brother-in-law, and one of my best friends to various forms of cancer.

Dr. Z: All the while, several of our closest friends and family members received that horrifying diagnosis everyone dreads to hear.

Mama Z: So, we’ve decided to partner with our friends at Cancer Tutor to do our part to help you not go through what we’ve experienced.

Dr. Z: For the past eighteen months, Natural Living Family and Cancer Tutor have been busy working on a film project to bring awareness to people that there is truly hope for cancer. We sponsored a stage 2 breast cancer patient to receive non-toxic therapies for one year and have documented her progress along the way.

Mama Z: This story gives a candid look at her journey through integrative cancer treatments. And we want to give you a special access pass to watch the movie before we submit it to film festivals and online streaming services.

Dr. Z: We cordially invite you to a special screening of the global premiere that will air this coming November 6.

Mama Z: Simply go to HopeforBreastCancer.com (that’s h-o-p-e-f-o-r breast cancer, dot com) to reserve your spot today. And you’ll get instant access to some of the behind the scenes footage and some other amazing goodies.

Dr. Z: We believe there is hope for breast cancer. And we invite you on our mission to help stop this epidemic.

 

[3:20 – 8:21] Testimonial Time!

Dr. Z: Well, hey there, everybody! As promised, this is episode 42 of The Natural Living Family Podcast, where we are going to be interviewing our dear friend, Angie Lima.

Mama Z: Yes!

Dr. Z: Yay! We have been talking about this for the last couple of weeks. And this is exciting for a couple of reasons, because next week is the global premiere of “The Hope for Breast Cancer Documentary,” where Angela is the star. And we’ve never interviewed anyone ever before.

Mama Z: No.

Dr. Z: And we may never again. But we thought this was such a special occasion, we had to.

Mama Z: Yes.

Dr. Z: It was a great interview.

Mama Z: It was.

Dr. Z: It was a lot of fun.

Mama Z: It was lots of fun. I actually listened to the whole thing and loved it.

Dr. Z: Did you cry?

Mama Z: I got choked up a couple of times.

Dr. Z: Mama Z still has not watched the film, by the way. She refuses to watch the movie.

Mama Z: I don’t refuse.

Dr. Z: It’s pretty much refusal at this point.

Mama Z: No, it’s not. You haven’t even given me the new cut. That’s the problem.

Dr. Z: Chris, she says she doesn’t have the new version of the video. Are you going to stand for that?

Chris: You’ll have it in a day or two, Sabrina.

Dr. Z: That’s her excuse.

Mama Z: See, I don’t have it. But, you know, I’ll probably end up watching it with Angela.

Dr. Z: When?

Mama Z: I just have a feeling like we’re going to watch it together.

Dr. Z: All right. Well, maybe for Christmas time, because usually for Christmas The Truth About Cancer hosts a charity event at the Gaylord. And we love going to the Gaylord in Nashville, which is local to Angie. So, maybe then we’ll watch it. That would be actually sweet. To be continued on that.

But anyway, this is going to be a different show today. And what we’re going to do, we’re going to be featuring . . . Here’s the thing, though; heads up. For those of you who are really, really excited about watching the film, which hopefully you are, because thousands and thousands of people already have signed up for the global screening. Like I don’t even know the number. I should. But near a hundred thousand people at this point. If you do not like spoiler alerts, if you’re like me, you might want to think twice about listening through all the way. There are a couple…

Mama Z: There are a couple of like really key tidbit things.

Dr. Z: I know. But there are a couple of spoilers out. So, that’s why I want to let y’all know. This is a heads up. If you want to wait, because at the very end of the film, something dramatic happens.

Mama Z: Eric, some people are like me, and they actually go to the back of the book first. And they want to know that it ends up happy, okay?

Dr. Z: So, if you want the back story about Angela, if you want to know how Angela is doing . . . Now also as a tidbit, we recorded this in May. So, this is airing October 28.

Mama Z: Yes, so, there are things that happened after . . .

Dr. Z: But if you are a “I love surprises. Don’t tell me my surprise. Don’t tell me my Christmas gift,” if you are the kind of person that says, “What are you buying me for Christmas?”—you don’t like surprises. You are the hardest person to surprise, by the way.

Mama Z: That’s because you go to the grocery store; you empty out like a shelf. And you’re like, “I have surprises.” And I’m like, “Oh man! Please, we do not need twenty-five of this or that.”

Dr. Z: No, you don’t like surprises. So, anyway, if you like surprises . . .

Mama Z: I like good surprises.

Dr. Z: I just don’t want people to be upset because a couple of things were leaked but it’s such a good interview. Anyway, the bottom line is this. You’re going to love the movie. You’re going to laugh. You’re going to cry two or three times at least. And you should, unless you’re Sabrina, who doesn’t want to watch it because she doesn’t want to cry. That’s exactly why she doesn’t want to watch it. So, anyway, that’s it.

So, we’re kind of skipping through the diffuser recipe today, because we didn’t have a diffuser recipe thing that we did then. Anyway, this is just really sweet and special. But, as always, in our episodes, we love to give you a special shout out for those of you who spend the time and leave a review, because we love them. We really do. We really cherish and value all of your comments. And this is a really good one from Katie Joy.

Mama Z: Yes. “Natural Living Ninjas,” five stars. Thank you! “Dr. and Mama Z shine the brightest of lights on what it means to live a natural lifestyle. Bold, insightful, and engaging are just a few of the words I use to describe the time you’ll spend with them. Thanks for putting out such a superb show, guys. Keep up the good work. Katie Jo B.” And that’s via Apple Podcast, U.S.A.

Dr. Z: Awesome! Yay! Love it! Love you!

Mama Z: Yes, thank you!

Dr. Z: And thank you for that. And please leave us a review, y’all, because I actually enjoy beginning each episode with that.

So, anyway, without further ado, here’s a wonderful, roughly, what is it, how long—an hour and twenty minutes? Roughly an hour and twenty minutes long.

Mama Z: And it’s worth every second.

Dr. Z: Yes.

Mama Z: And you’ll love my friend.

Dr. Z: And you’re going to love the show.

Mama Z: Yes.

Dr. Z: You’re going to love the interview. And please, please, please, don’t forget, sign up. Go to HopeforBreastCancer.com. Be part of the global premiere. You are going to want to watch this movie.

 

[8:22 – 14:40] Intro: Interview with Angie Lima

Dr. Z: Hey, everyone! Dr. Z here.

Mama Z: And Mama Z.

Dr. Z: And we have a very special guest.

Mama Z: Angie Lima.

Dr. Z: Angie Lima!

Mama Z: Yay!

Dr. Z: Our first and only guest of the Natural Living Family Podcast.

Mama Z: Yes.

Dr. Z: This is a special breast cancer awareness month episode, and also to honor Angie for coming all the way to our home to sing a very special song. And we’re going to explain that in just a minute. And we love you.

Mama Z: Yes.

Angie: I love you guys!

Dr. Z: Thank you!

Angie: I do. I love you guys. Thank you so much!

Dr. Z: I mean there’s a reason we haven’t actually ever had a guest. I mean, one, we film this in our home studio in our basement in Atlanta, and not many people want to come.

Mama Z: And we’ve got the playroom and the bathroom over here, aka, makeup room.

Dr. Z: Yea. We don’t want to compromise and do like a Skype video. No, we try to keep the quality good. But also, it’s our chance to just share our heart, Mama Z and I.

Mama Z: It’s like we’re dating.

Dr. Z: It is like we’re dating.

Mama Z: All over every time.

Dr. Z: And we just finished filming a documentary that Angie is the star of.

Mama Z: Yes.

Dr. Z: She, Angie Lima, is a breast cancer survivor. And we tracked her progress. And at the time we’re filming this, this is May 2019. It’s going to be airing a few months from now. The documentary comes out in November.

Angie: Yes.

Dr. Z: And watching, you can see a little baby bump.

Mama Z: A cute little baby bump.

Dr. Z: A cute little baby bump, which maybe we should hide that. That’s like a big part of the story. Can you tell she’s pregnant? You can? Good. We’re live here. Okay, that’s a big part of the story, by the way.

Mama Z: It is a big part of the story.

Dr. Z: It’s a big part of the story. But it’s like, “Hallelujah!” So, we filmed the story. And if you don’t know Angie, you’ve got to go online. She is a blogger, on Facebook. Look up “The Cancer Kicking Cutie.” So, not only is she a breast cancer survivor, she is a fantastic musician, want to be dancer–we talked about that–a professional cheerleader and now star of the new Hope for Breast Cancer documentary.

So, we are so excited because when we filmed the documentary, we didn’t know what to do at the end. And like how do you do end credits and how do you finish it? And Sabrina and you just went to a funeral. So, tell us a little bit quickly, because you came up with this idea. And so, for you to come here to sing, to film this, so we could be part of it, I was like, “Why don’t we do a podcast episode?”

Mama Z: And it was actually kind of cool, because she and I had talked. And she wanted to sing.

Dr. Z: At the funeral.

Mama Z: At Barry’s funeral. And her daughter had talked to Mary Ellen, our really good friend that kind of connects us all together. And they really wanted her to sing. But they knew everything she had gone through. They didn’t want to bother her. And I had called Mary Ellen. And I’m like, “I really think, too, that Angela should sing.” And she’s like, “Oh my gosh! They want her to sing. But they don’t want to bother her.” And she didn’t want to bother them. And so, you guys can imagine.

Angie: Well, it was really kind of funny, because it really was that immersion of kind of everything for everyone. Sabrina had reached out to me, and she said, “Oh, but did you reach out to Jen or anybody from the family yet and tell them that you were thinking about singing, that God put that on your heart?” And I said, “No, I really don’t want to be a bother.” And to me, that would be kind of intrusive. And she said, “No, they want you to.”

Mama Z: Yea.

Angie: “So reach out, like today and tell them.”

Dr. Z: Wow!

Angie: And so, I had. And I was like, “I know some older lady is singing Amazing Grace. But I mean I think everything else is on the table.”

Dr. Z: And you haven’t sang in how long?

Angie: Oh, it’s been years.

Dr. Z: Years!

Mama Z: And I really didn’t know that.

Dr. Z: And today, you dusted the pipes. By the way, you crushed it.

Angie: Thank you.

Mama Z: It was awesome!

Angie: Thanks guys!

Dr. Z: You’re going to watch the documentary next month. Not a dry eye.

Mama Z: No.

Dr. Z: If you don’t cry, there’s something wrong with you.

Mama Z: There is.

Dr. Z: You’ve got to go to an ophthalmologist to find out why you’re not crying.

Mama Z: Oh my gosh!

Dr. Z: So, what happened, though?  You went to the funeral. And you called me, and you’re like, what happened.

Mama Z: I said, “Well, first of all. There wasn’t a dry eye anywhere. And then second of all, when she was out there, I literally saw her singing for the documentary. And I don’t even know what the setup was, but I had seen it. I saw it, and I was like, “I know she’s supposed to sing that for this, because it brings everything we’re talking about together with hope, the amazing grace of God, and all the things that went into this journey, and all of the things she’s been through and all of that.” It just all kind of culminates with all of that together. So, it was just so cool that this ended up working out.

Angie: Yea.

Mama Z: And it happened that we both had a weekend that it like worked, because you guys are so busy. And the baby is busy. And getting ready for a baby is even busier. So, this was just meant to be.

Dr. Z: I know. And Felipe came down with Isa, your daughter. And this is awesome. I mean actually it’s the first time we’ve been able to do this here in Atlanta. We’ve been here at your home a couple of times now with the documentary.

Angie: Yea.

Dr. Z: So, folks, we’re going to be talking a little bit about Angie and Angie’s story and how she met Sabrina. We’re going to cover a little bit of behind the scenes stuff, when it comes to the documentary. It is just a God story. I don’t know how else you can describe it.

Angie: No.

Mama Z: You can’t.

Dr. Z: I’m looking. You are a miracle. And I’m also looking at, to me, the miracle in your baby boy.

Angie: Yea.

Dr. Z: It’s like unbelievable. And to see where you’ve come and where you’ve gone, it’s been an honor. I mean it’s really been an honor to be part of it. And it’s kind of funny, because we haven’t spent a lot of time together. But I’ve been watching you and listening to you and editing this documentary, producing it. And I’m like I feel like we became instant like really, really close friends through TV.

Angie: Yea.

Dr. Z: And I’m like I give you a big hug! Of course, we’re going to talk about how you met Sabrina. But just thank you. Really, just thank you for the trust and the privilege to be able to document your story, help, serve. You are helping in serving the world with us.

Mama Z: Yes.

Dr. Z: And folks, you really have to take advantage of the free screening, because it’s a gift. It’s a gift. Just go to HopeforBreastCancer.com. You’re going to watch Angie’s story. Watch what she did and how she overcame. And it is very much an integrative story of how you overcome cancer. So, it’s a lot. We’re going to talk about that in just a minute, too.

 

[14:41 – 18:16] Backstory of Angie and the Zs

Dr. Z: You know, let’s give people a little bit of context.

Mama Z: Yes.

Dr. Z: You, Angie, who are you? How do you know Sabrina? Let’s start there. And then we’ll kind of . . .

Mama Z: Well, we were digging out pictures from the catacombs . . .

Angie: Oh my gosh!

Mama Z: Of the 1990s. And it was so fun, because we’ve known each other well over twenty years.

Angie: True.

Mama Z: And we have pictures of us together during pageants. And I’ve known her mom just even a hair bit longer than her, because she was a chaperone at one of our pageants. And she was the coolest mom ever. And I remember thinking, “I want her as my chaperone.” And I was bummed when I didn’t get her. But when I met her daughter, like later, and we just hit it off. And it was very cool. And we’ve had a sister like relationship over the last twenty-plus years.

Angie: Yea. I mean it’s really cool. It’s funny how God just puts people intricately in your life.

Mama Z: Yea.

Angie: And you see how that relationship grows and develops. I mean even after pageants we had kind of lost connection. But thanks to the internet and social media, that brought us back together.

Mama Z: Yes.

Angie: You moved away, and I moved away.

Mama Z: Yea. I kept up with everything you were doing because I would go home and see Barry and Mary Ellen at the photography studio that I worked with and they were in connection. And you were in a music video and all kinds of fun stuff.

Dr. Z: You were in a music video?

Angie: Way back when, yea.

Dr. Z: So, how old were you when you met?

Angie: When I met Sabrina?

Dr. Z: Yea.

Angie: Oh goodness. I think I was like fourteen or fifteen when I first met you for the first time.

Mama Z: Yea.

Dr. Z: Give us a little snapshot. Like what was life like then? You were living in?

Angie: I was living in Michigan.

Dr. Z: Michigan.

Angie: Mid-Michigan. And we were just kind of living the high school lifestyle, if you will; hanging out with my friends. But on the weekend, I loved to perform. I was kind of nurturing a music career in the making, or what we thought would be a music career in the making. And really, when you come from such a small community, your biggest outlet, in order to perform, really was the pageant system.

Dr. Z: That’s what got you started on pageants?

Angie: Yea, that was the only reason, actually, why I was starting in pageants.

Dr. Z: Really? Wow!

Angie: And it was a family friend of ours, actually, propositioned my mom, if you will. It was like, “Hey, Angie should do pageants.” And my mom said, “No, we’re not those people.” Because people had that stigma. And it’s terrible.

Dr. Z: I get it. I was raised that way.

Angie: Because that is not what it is at all. And I hate to sound in total cliché and say, “It’s a scholarship program.” But it is, you know. And so, she had asked if she could sign me up for a pageant. And my mom asked if I would be interested. And I said, “Well, if I get to sing, sure.”

Dr. Z: No way.

Angie: Yea. And this is a true and funny story. They had a sportswear category.

Mama Z: Yea, because it was teen, right?

Angie: This was little, this was a “Little Miss.” I was nine years old, I believe. And there was sportswear. And my mom put me in a tennis outfit because she thought it was actual athletic wear. So, all these other little girls are in these cute little dresses and what have you. And I walk out in my little tennis outfit with…

Mama Z: Did you win?

Angie: No. I was first runner-up that year. But the funny thing is, being as little as I was and not exposed to pageants, I thought first runner-up was first place. So, I didn’t care about the crown. I got a first runner-up trophy. It’s a first on it. So, I assumed that that meant I won.

Dr. Z: That’s cute.

Angie: Yea. And then the next year I got the bug, so I went back into it. And I ended up winning that year.

Dr. Z: Wow! How long did you compete for then?

Angie: Oh goodness! I think the last pageant I had done was maybe when I was about twenty-one.

Dr. Z: Oh, so, you were still like legit.

Angie: Yea. I went all the way through the system.

Mama Z: Yea, I was there when she won her first pageant.

Angie: She was.

 

[18:17 – 24:29] Angie’s Early Days in Pageantry

Dr. Z: Just kind of fun. How far along? What was your greatest achievement when you did pageants?

Angie: Well, you know, actually my greatest achievement, I think I would say, they had done a pilot teen program. It was the Miss Teen program. And they didn’t know if it was going to work or not. But what they had done is they had called all the teenage queens from the state, and they held this first ever state pageant. I actually won that pageant. And so, that was my biggest accomplishment, if you will. I was the first Miss America-Miss Teen.

Dr. Z: Oh, wow!

Angie: But I don’t think it’s documented that way. So, somebody is going to write in or say something and say, “That’s not true.” But it really was, actually. It was the very first. It was the piloted program. The following year they didn’t have one. And then they started that.

Mama Z: Miss Outstanding Teen after that.

Angie: Yes, Miss Outstanding Teen after that.

Mama Z: Yup, I remember that.

Angie: One of our good friends from the pageant system in our community ended up winning that. So, I don’t want to take away her sunshine. But I was a part of the pilot program.

Dr. Z: So, at that time you were nurturing your gift as a musician, as a singer. Kind of fast forward. You meet Sabrina. You guys really connect. And then you go to Nashville.

Angie: Yea.

Dr. Z: Right? Were you single at the time you went to Nashville?

Angie: Yes.

Dr. Z: Okay, so give us a whole Nashville, because we’re bringing y’all up to speed. And here we are listening at the Natural Living Family Podcast. Like what are we talking about? Like we are interviewing our dear friend, Angie Lima, who is the subject. What do we call you, “the subject of a documentary”? We just filmed a documentary called “The Hope for Breast Cancer.”

Mama Z: It’s the documentary of her experience.

Dr. Z: She’s the star. She’s like the star of this documentary. So, anyway, we’re getting you up to speed, because she’s been part of Sabrina’s life for quite a while. So, how old were you when you went to Nashville?

Angie: I was about 19 when I moved to Nashville.

Dr. Z: For? Straight up to be a singer?

Angie: Yes.

Dr. Z: Really? Wow!

Mama Z: I remember when you were going to be singing at a few different special places. I know Barry came down to watch you, because I remember.

Dr. Z: And Barry, you mentioned Barry a couple of times.

Mama Z: Yes.

Dr. Z: Barry is the man that Angie sang at his funeral. He was a pageant photographer, and the University of Michigan football official photographer. He was legit.

Mama Z: Yes. And he had won the Professional Photographers of America Award twice, the only person that I ever know that won that award twice. So, very talented and just happened to live in our area. And I had the privilege of being able to work with him and call him friend. And then, of course, they were at our wedding, too, and your wedding.

Dr. Z: So, you’re in Nashville, right here in Nashville at 19.

Angie: Yea.

Dr. Z: Like no job? You’re just like, “I’m just going to Nashville to be a singer.”

Angie: Pretty much.

Dr. Z: That’s pretty cool.

Angie: Yea, we worked with some individuals. It’s funny, that sixth degree of separation is really a true thing. And so, we had gone there when I was about nineteen and worked with a couple of songwriters and cut a few demos. It didn’t exactly look like it was anything promising. So, fast forward, I go back home and continued in the pageant system.

And speaking of our good friend, Barry, he had gone to a concert with me. I’ll reserve the name of the artist, if you will. But we had all gone to a concert together. And he pushed my way up to the stage. He’s like, “Go up front. Just go up front.”

And one of the lead singers of this particular duo called me up on stage. And he’s like, “Hey, what’s your name? Where are you from? Very nice to meet you.” It was really awkward, because as this was happening, the concert is actually going on, you know. He’s just taking a timeout talking to me. And so, he’s like, “I’ll have to look you up later. Very nice to meet you. Welcome to our show.” I’m like, “Okay, well thanks.”

Dr. Z: Were you like, Is he flirting with me?

Angie: And I think I was always just oblivious to things like that anyway. So, I was like, “Oh, very nice to meet you, too.”

Dr. Z: You want my business card?

Angie: Fast forward. It was at a casino. So, we were walking around afterwards and getting ready to leave. Well, someone that was a part of his group was walking around. And Barry actually said, “Hey, I know that you’re affiliated with them. Take a listen. Here’s a CD. If it goes anywhere, great. If it doesn’t, great.”

And fast forward. I was in beauty school at the time. I also have a cosmetology license. And I was in beauty school and received a call from said singer who had called me up on stage. And he’s like, “I happen to have your CD in my hand. When are you going to come to Nashville?”

Dr. Z: Wow!

Angie: And I’m like, “Really?” And he’s like, “Yea, come to Nashville. Here’s my personal cell phone number. I would love to help you in any way that I can.”

And so, it’s all because of Barry that I actually took that leap of faith to move. And fortunately, I was kind of taken under the wing of the individual we had met while walking around in the casino. He hooked me up with my very first apartment and told me what neighborhoods would be great to live in. I ended up waitressing, you know, paying my dues that way, and then doing open mike nights, which then led to just bigger opportunities.

And I kind of made myself a promise that I would give it some time. And if it hadn’t worked out by like my fifth year in, then I would walk away, because I’m a very practical person. And I thought, “Well, that’s enough time.” And you know, really life just kind of happened. And I got to a point where I tried out for American Idol. I made it pretty far along in that process, too.

Dr. Z: Oh you did?

Angie: I did. That’s a very interesting process. So, what you see on TV is just a snippet of the work that really goes in, it’s insane. And there are a lot of auditions. There’s a lot of travel back and forth. And so, I had done that.

But when I ended up not going through to like the televised round, if you will, then it ended up that I just decided I was done, and it was time to go home. My grandmother had developed Alzheimer’s. Life was happening all around us. I decided to go back to Michigan. And I was there for about a year-and-a-half maybe, maybe two. And then thought, “This isn’t where I’m meant to be. I’m just going to go back home.” I’ve always considered Tennessee home, even though I’m not from there.

Mama Z: You were offered like a show somewhere, weren’t you?

Angie: Oh there were things in the works. And they had a bunch of different things lined up for me, but my heart wasn’t in it. And I just didn’t feel like that was what my passion was or what my calling was to be. So, I’m an all or nothing kind of person. If it wasn’t meant to be, then I couldn’t give it.

 

[24:30 – 29:04] Pageantry to Professional Cheerleading

Dr. Z: So, you go back to Nashville. And so when you watch the documentary, y’all, you get little bits and pieces. This is kind of cool, because we actually cut like twenty minutes of the back story, because this thing was already an hour and forty-five minutes long. It would have had to be in like a ten-part series. So, this is kind of fun for people that watch.

Mama Z: And how many times have you watched it?

Angie: Oh, I watch it like every day. I do. When I’m walking on the treadmill, I turn it on, and I watch it almost every day.

Dr. Z: The story of my life. So, we kind of like gloss over like ten seconds of the documentary. We’re like, “Oh yea, here’s what you’re about.” But Tennessee Titans, somehow here you are. Again, this fits the mold of who you are and your picture of health, really. That’s kind of what we’re trying to portray. Like here you are, a young woman, picture of health. And you have to really, to be in pageants, you’ve got to be healthy.

Angie: Yea.

Dr. Z: Your fitness has to be at a certain level. To be a professional cheerleader for an NFL team, you have to be extremely disciplined. So, where did that come into play?

Angie: Well, that’s really funny, because looking back now, I think, “Oh my gosh! I missed so many opportunities.” And I competed in pageants doing what I had done prior to being an NFL cheerleader. Because I thought I was healthy, and I was working out. And we had people that were influencing things that I was doing that I thought were really great for me. And I think at the time they were.

But I remember, I just had that bug to get back into performing. I really wanted to be in front of people. And if singing wasn’t the avenue it was meant to be, then I thought I would just give it a whirl and try out for our sports team. And it was funny. When I called my mom to tell her, she was angry.

Dr. Z: Really?

Angie: Oh, she was so upset with me. And she’s like, “Oh really? You’re going to be a cheerleader?”

Dr. Z: Wow!

Angie: And I said, “You know what? I mean it’s dancing.” And she’s like, “You’re not a dancer.” Which I’m not. I’m not a dancer. To this day, I’m not a dancer.

Dr. Z: That’s so funny!

Angie: But she’s like, “You know, just make sure you don’t lose track of who you are.” Because again, I think it’s that perception of what NFL cheerleaders are, what pageant girls are. There’s a stigma that’s associated with that. And she’s like, “Don’t lose sight of your faith. And don’t lose sight of who you are in any of that.” And so, I had attended this “Become a Pro Cheerleader Workshop.”

Mama Z: Wow! They have a workshop?

Angie: They have a workshop.

Dr. Z: I didn’t know there was such a thing.

Angie: They do. And it’s pretty intense.

Mama Z: And they kind of probably try to scare you off a little bit, too, right?

Angie: I think so.

Mama Z: Oh yea.

Angie: I think so.

Mama Z: It’s like bio-chem, you know.

Angie: Oh yea.

Dr. Z: Organic bio-chem in school? No, I don’t think it’s the same.

Angie: No.

Mama Z: You know where they try to weed people out in the first week, you know?

Angie: Definitely. It’s definitely an intense, rigorous sort of meeting, where you really separate yourself from the others. And I had gone in and thought it was a really awesome organization, and I wanted to be a part of it. But I knew that it was going to take a lot of hard work and dedication. And so, that’s when I started looking for open dance classes that I could go to. And I started dancing several nights a week.

I was hitting the gym so much harder than I ever had been. Ironically, my husband and I had met during this time, or reconnected. I had actually met him several years prior. And so, I knew he worked out in the mornings. So, strategically I wanted to go to the gym so I could see him in the morning. We weren’t dating at this point.

Dr. Z: Smart.

Angie: So, I guess I was kind of stalking him, if you would. But I wanted to go and work out.

Mama Z: They didn’t really have Facebook stuff then.

Angie: No, not really. At that point, I guess not. It wasn’t as big as it is now. So, I would go and I would run. And then afterwards, I would go back after work, and I would hop on and do some other sort of exercise. Or I would take on a new class.

Dr. Z: You were something else. I mean seeing pictures, like wow!

Angie: Yea, it was a big transformation.

Dr. Z: I mean it was just fit to a point where, I mean, how cool coming full circle just this last year, them honoring you. You know, the NFL Cheerleader’s Association; is that what it’s called?

Angie: Yea, the National Football League Association for Cheerleaders.

Dr. Z: Yea, so folks, when you watch this documentary—and all you have to do is go to HopeforBreastCancer.com. Go to HopeforBreastCancer.com, f-o-r, not number 4. And you can sign up and get a free screening to watch this documentary. Angie tells the story about how they honored you. Was it an award? Or did they just let you come up and just honor you? How was it?

Angie: You know, it was really something sweet, actually. I had received a phone call. We had kept my healing journey quite low on everyone’s radar.

Dr. Z: Yea.

Angie: I didn’t want anybody to be too involved with it, I mean outside of our circle, I didn’t want the influence of other people, because there are good and bad influences that come along with that.

Mama Z: Right. And you don’t need that during your journey, yea.

 

[29:05 – 31:39] How Angie Started Her Healing Journey

Angie: You need to stay focused on your own path. And so, it wasn’t until I had attended Hope4Cancer. It was my birthday that week. And so, they had thrown me a surprise birthday party.

Mama Z: I have pictures.

Angie: Yea. They throw me a birthday party. And it was just so wonderful, because I was never that individual who cared about their birthday. You know, most girls are like, “Oh, it’s my birthday, mom. Let me put on my crown.” That wasn’t me. You know, it was like, “Okay, it’s another day.”

Dr. Z: Your birthday year.

Mama Z: Instead of birthday, we kind of need a birthday month.

Angie: You need a birthday month. I think that’s the thing. I’ve seen many memes about this. But that just wasn’t me. But this was the first year that I really appreciated the fact that I had a birthday.

Dr. Z: Praise God.

Angie: And I appreciated that so many others were wanting to celebrate life in general, not just my life, but celebrate life in general. And so, I had created a Facebook post that just said, “I’ve never been one for birthdays, but this is one worth celebrating.” And that’s when I officially started sharing my story.

Well, my former coach had reached out to me. And she’s like, “Angie, I had no idea. You know, like we have things in place where we could be of support to you. You know, we’re a sisterhood.” And it’s true. The NFL Cheerleaders Association, we are a sisterhood. But it was definitely off of their radar. And so, she’s like, “We need to do something.” And I said, “Stacy, I’m fine. I swear I’m fine. Thank you for your prayers and your concerns. I don’t want to trouble anybody.”

Well fast forward about a month or two. And she called me and said, “You know what? We are hosting the association’s alumni party this year.” And she said, “We’re going to do it a little bit differently. We’re going to highlight some of the alumni throughout the NFL, not just with the Titans.” And she said, “I really want to give you the survivor’s award.”

Dr. Z: Wow!

Angie: And she said, “Because there’s a lot of girls that have been affected with breast cancer. And there are a lot of women who will be affected with breast cancer.” And she said, “And the fact that you took the road less traveled,” she said, “I think that’s very inspiring.” And so, once I received my award, I was able to go up and give a presentation and talk to the ladies in the audience.

And that was really amazing, because so many individuals had come up afterwards, saying, “This is what a ten-year survivor looks like.” “I’m twelve years out.” One woman in particular said, “I was just diagnosed two days before coming here. You don’t know what your story meant to me.” So, to be able to do that, I never would have guessed when I originally tried out for the team years prior that the reason or one of the many fruits that it would bear would be to inspire other women who had been affected by this disease.

Mama Z: Right.

Dr. Z: That’s unbelievable.

Mama Z: That’s awesome.

 

[31:40 – 34:44] What It Was Like Taking the Road Less Traveled

Dr. Z: So, you said something. You used an interesting phrase when Stacy mentioned about you taking a road less traveled.

Angie: Yea, the story of my life.

Mama Z: Yea, it certainly is.

Dr. Z: So, this is, I think, a great time when we can kind of dive into your healing journey, which means that you were diagnosed with breast cancer.

But even before we even talk about that, you mentioned a healing journey, too. So, we have a road less traveled. We have a healing journey. Put it in context, because that’s one thing that I look back at the documentary, and there’s only . . . Man, we could have a whole segment just on this healing journey mentality. So, why have you always just called it your healing journey?

Angie: Well, you know, it’s funny. I typically will never refer to it as my diagnosis, or things of that nature, because I feel like that’s giving it power, and that’s giving it life.

Dr. Z: So true.

Angie: And so, with this, it’s always been my healing journey, because it’s just a way to get well. This diagnosis, this disease, if you will, was just my body’s way of saying, “Hey, something has got to change. Whatever we’re doing right now, isn’t working. And so, this is your red light. Stop, readjust, and turn around.” So, it’s always just been a healing journey for that purpose. And it’s funny, because in a way I take it almost defensive when I hear people talk about their diagnosis. And they label it, and they own it as their own, or it has possession over them.

Mama Z: Right.

Angie: That’s not the case. That was never the case for me. This was another path that God wanted me to go down, and for whatever reason, you know, praying for purpose and figuring out what my journey was. You know, I have taken the road less traveled in many aspects of my life. But one was I had just been praying for purpose and that something big would happen. Never could I have imagined that that would come in the form of a diagnosis. But it really has given me that purpose that I wanted. I asked God to help me grow, and it started to rain. That’s just how you look at that rainstorm.

Dr. Z: And you took the mentality even through treatments, because you called your chemotherapy treatments . . .

Angie: Healing days.

Dr. Z: Healing days.

Angie: They were my healing days.

Dr. Z: Yea.

Angie: And I prayed over each and every one of those treatments. I prayed over the hands that would be administering them. And if anybody would come up to that machine, I was praying and speaking faith over them as well. I used that time specifically to surround myself with gospel music, to surround myself with my Bible and spiritual Scriptures, if you will, because that was in my mind God’s time for He and I to just be connected. Because when you hear about chemotherapy and what it does to you body, there are so many horrible things associated with it; so many good things associated with it, too.

But I wanted to make sure that there was no room for Satan to get in this. There was no room for that possibility of spreading or what have you. This was me and God’s time. And He was going to use that several hours that I was in that chair to just work man-made miracles. Whatever hand touched me, He was going to work through them. And it would be prospered because it was blessed by Him.

 

[34:45 – 38:55] Life Before Diagnosis: Backstory from the Beginning

Dr. Z: So, talk to us about your road less traveled on this healing journey, like even from the beginning. And when did you start to think, “I need to do something a little bit different?” So, tell us from the beginning.

Mama Z: You know, from the very beginning.

Angie: From the very beginning?

Dr. Z: Start at the beginning. So how old were you? Let’s give a little bit of context so people can appreciate. Again, here you are, like absolute fit. And people that are watching this, you’ll see pictures, professional cheerleader. You recently had a baby, so you have a young daughter. But you’re still healthy. You’re the picture of health. And what happened? Like you didn’t even know you had cancer.

Angie: It’s funny, because I had been a professional cheerleader. And my husband and I were gym rats. That’s what we did before our daughter came along. We would spend hours at the gym every day. And so, after she was born, what was so funny is I had taken steps during my pregnancy to ensure that I stayed healthy. I didn’t want to gain any additional pregnancy weight. I was eating very well. Ironically, I had been diagnosed with gestational diabetes.

Dr. Z: Oh!

Mama Z: Really?

Angie: I was. It was so insane. And I remember sitting down with that particular specialist, saying, “Show me in here where I’m doing something wrong” because I’m that person.

I actually had a food journal for my entire pregnancy, in the event that if I had another baby, I would know exactly what I did. And he said, “Well, you’re doing everything right.” And I said, “Then your test is wrong.” And he said, “Well, no, it’s not.” And I said, “Well, I don’t eat sugar.”

Dr. Z: The patient every doctor dreads.

Angie: Yea. And I am. I really am. But I was just so precise in what I was doing, because I knew I wanted to stay healthy. I wanted to feed my baby with all of the nutritious foods I could to make sure that they were growing and that were just all of those healthy things happening in their development. So, that was kind of weird… And maybe now looking back, maybe that was like a small red flag that was going up along the way.

But after she was born, I continued to do the same, because I was nursing. And I wanted to make sure my milk supply was full of nutrients. And I might not have been going to the gym as much. In fact, I’ll own that and say I probably wasn’t going at all during that time. But I was so focused on my child. I didn’t want to miss a moment with her. But I was still eating well. I was still taking care of myself. I just wasn’t hitting the gym for multiple hours a day.

Then fast forward. We go on a family vacation. My daughter is probably about a year-and-a-half at this time. And she’s running around being miss adorable little toddler. But she lost her footing. And I happen to have been laying on the floor. And she kind of speared me with her elbow. It was the worst pain I have ever felt in my life. And I called my mom immediately and said, “Ironic, and this is weird, but Isa fell. So, if something forms, just tell me not to freak out. She fell on my breast. It’s just cells healing. Don’t worry about it.” She said, “Okay.”

So, fast forward several months. I would say it was probably three at this point. I was just taking a shower one day and happen to brush my hand against my chest, and I felt a lump. And that kind of puts that pit in your stomach. I mean when you find something like that, you just sink. And I had asked my husband what his opinion was. He said, “It was probably nothing. Don’t worry about it.” He was sleeping at the time, so he probably just wanted to go back to bed.

But I thought, “Okay, it’s probably nothing. I’m not going to worry about this.” I called my mom. She said, “You know, we have fibrocystic breasts. Don’t worry about it. I bet you’re fine. And your hormones are changing, you know, all these things.”

I was breastfeeding. I breastfed my daughter for as long as I possibly could. That’s supposed to help prevent you from experiencing breast cancer, right? So, I thought, “Okay, I’m not going to worry about it.” Well, when it hadn’t gone away, then my husband was like, “You know what, why don’t you go to the doctor? It’s not changing, but it hasn’t gone away. It should have healed itself by now.” And it was that particular day that my general practitioner just got a stone look on her face and said, “We need to get you in to the radiologist.” And I said, “When?” And she said, “Now!”

Dr. Z: Wow!

 

[38:56 – 44:42] It All Happened So Fast

Angie: Now! And the radiologist stayed open late for me specifically. I was immediately put into a mammogram, followed by an ultrasound. And by five o’clock that evening, I was told that I had cancer. So, it was a lot to take in. But that’s when I called Sabrina. And that’s kind of where… that was the first thing I did. I was on my way home.

Mama Z: Yep, I remember.

Angie: And I called Sabrina. And I’m like, “I can’t grasp this.”

Mama Z: It was the end of July, yep.

Angie: And I said, “How is this even possible? What should I do?” And she’s like, “You know, before you start to worry, people are misdiagnosed all the time. Have a thermogram done. See what type of activity is going on in your body. It’s going to tell you a lot more.” And so, I had done so within like three days of having my mammogram.

And the woman who conducted the thermography, she was like, “You know what? It’s probably nothing.” She’s like, “I’m looking at it. It looks like you have higher estrogen, maybe an iodine deficiency. But this is not what breast cancer looks like. So, don’t worry. I’m not saying it couldn’t turn into something bad. But let’s just try A, B, and C. Come back in three months, and we’ll assess the situation from there.” Literally within, I would say, weeks of having that mammogram, though, the mass had dramatically changed, rapidly changed.

Mama Z: And in the meantime, you had changed what you were eating. You had really tightened everything up.

Angie: Yep.

Dr. Z: Is that what you meant by the road less traveled?

Angie: Well, no. That actually even comes. . .

Dr. Z: So, that wasn’t even the road less traveled.

Angie: No. I mean that was more of like a second opinion in my world at that point with the thermography.

Dr. Z: How did you guys come up with what to do? I know it was a joint effort between you two.

Mama Z: Well, we prayed about it. And I had taken notes from our whole conversation. And it was so funny. It was like when we started filming the documentary, I had in my drafts, I had the notes. So, I knew exactly what day. It was July 26 of that year.

And so, I have given you the whole run-down of everything we talked about, the different oils that you could use for specific things, the things that the doctors had mentioned, and all of that. And then I had talked to you about it. And I was like, “Hey, you know, just check this out. Is there anything else you would say?” Because you said, “If this was you, what would do you?”

Angie: What would you do?

Dr. Z: We hadn’t…at that point, we didn’t meet.

Angie: Yea.

Dr. Z: I was like, “Who is Angela?”

Mama Z: And then I was like, “Well, I talked to you about her before.” You know, I was like, “Hello, whatever.”

Dr. Z: Well, yea. It was kind of real. I was like, “Wow!” And so, you guys . . . And this was something that really struck me in the film.

Mama Z: And this was a month before I lost one of my closest friends to cancer, as well.

Dr. Z: Yes. And just a year or so after losing Kyle, and a year-and-a-half after losing my grandma. And it was just boom, boom, boom, boom.

Mama Z: And I was like, “No!”

Dr. Z: Even just last week, someone very close to my family was diagnosed with metastatic cancer. And it was like this is just very personal to us, right?

Angie: Yea.

Dr. Z: And so, y’all came up with something cool. I mean kind of like in an abbreviated version, what kind of stuff did you do? I mean here you are. You were just recently diagnosed.

Angie: Yea.

Dr. Z: You get with Sabrina. She’s talking to me. Like how did your life . . . Because there’s a really funny part. I just laughed with Felipe. There’s a really funny part in the movie where . . .

Mama Z: It was like it was really gross. She was just like eating greens and stuff.

Angie: Handfuls of lettuce.

Dr. Z: And the word he said, “She wasn’t even eating anything at all. It was disgusting.” And I’m thinking to myself, “That’s what I do. Dude, you’re like the total antithesis of everything we stand for . . .” He was like the voice of reason.

Mama Z: He said I’m an extremist. I said, “I know. My husband is one.”

Dr. Z: Who’s an extremist?

Mama Z: You. So bad. You’re like, “If you tell me to do it, I’m going to do it.”

Angie: Yea.

Dr. Z: You did it.

Angie: And I went all in. And so, for three months, it was clean eating. And I mean clean eating. There was no gluten. There was no dairy. It was all organic fruits and vegetables. I was eating lettuce like they were chips. It was just handfuls of lettuce. I couldn’t get enough greens. I was juicing and doing smoothies. And I just took out every type of foreign chemical that I could from any of the beauty products that I was using, the soaps, the cleaners we were using, everything. It was like I went through a complete overhaul.

And I put all of my eggs in that basket, because I knew . . . When I had first gone, and the radiologist said, “Well, this is cancer,” they wanted to do a biopsy immediately. And what I wasn’t on board with is that they wanted to do a mammogram, then do the biopsy, and then do another mammogram, to make sure of the placement in the marker where it was.

And I said to them, “You know, why would you do that? You’ve already put an enormous amount of pressure on something that clearly is foreign within my body. Now you’re going to poke at it, and you’re going to press it. Aren’t you worried that cells could escape?” I mean like I was mad.

Mama Z: I remember you even saying, “I went to have the mammogram, but I didn’t have peace about it.”

Angie: No. But it was so fast.

Mama Z: It was so fast. And you were like, “I didn’t have peace about it.”

Dr. Z: Let’s talk about that for a minute.

Angie: Yea.

Dr. Z: Because this is cool. This is something that we didn’t cover in the documentary. Like how did you feel at that moment? Like looking back, what can we do, what kind of advice can we give to a woman who was just told . . . Like they just ushered you in almost like lambs to the slaughter.

Mama Z: It was like cattle.

Dr. Z: Like cattle. Like, “Hey, you’re going to the mill.” But before we cover that, a word from our sponsor.

 

[44:43 – 45:48] Special Invitation: Hope for Breast Cancer

Mama Z: More than half of you listening to this will be affected by cancer at some point in your lives, either personally or through a loved one.

Dr. Z: The first thing that goes through your mind is dread, fear, and the never-ending question, can this be cured?

Mama Z: My dear friend, Angie, went through this exact experience, a wonderful mom and wife. She was the picture of health. And a breast cancer diagnosis in 2017 shocked her to the core. It changed everything for her.

Dr. Z: The “Hope for Breast Cancer” documentary follows her story as she navigates the maze of cancer therapies to uncover some shocking truths about herself, her faith, and about her health.

Mama Z: Visit HopeforBreastCancer.com (that’s h-o-p-e-f-o-r breast cancer dot com) to reserve your seat for the upcoming global premier and to be the first to watch the free viewing when it airs.

Dr. Z: We promise tears, laughter, and most of all, hope.

 

[45:49 – 48:24] Diagnosis: Going into Fight or Flight

Dr. Z: Is there a moment when you could say . . . Wait, hold on a second. Where is a practical place where you could just say, “Stop, pause, I need to breathe. Let me go . . .” You know, how do people navigate that?

Angie: I think your initial reaction is fear. And you go into fight or flight. So, when your doctor is looking at you, and they’ve got a stone look on their face, and it’s clearly a concern, you know, you automatically start reacting. And you start putting up your defense of, “Okay, something is clearly wrong. How do I fix this?”

Dr. Z: Yea.

Angie: And most everyone is going to say, “Fix it now.” You know, we’re a very get it now society. So, it’s like, “Okay, fix it. Let’s do it right now.” And so, looking back, I wish . . . And I guess I don’t wish this, because my journey is what it is, and it was meant to be that way. I truly do believe that. But you know, like if there could have been divine intervention, where the office wouldn’t have been opened, or they didn’t have an opening, or he couldn’t stay late that night. It was his son’s first T-ball practice or what have you.

You know, in that sort of situation, I wish I would have had twenty-four hours to go home and think about it, and then go back into it, because there really was no . . . I didn’t have an option whether or not to do a mammogram. I didn’t know to ask for an ultrasound first.

Dr. Z: Who would have?

Angie: Yea. You know, you’re just in fear mode.

Mama Z: Even if it’s a thermogram and they see something, then you’re going to want to do an ultrasound afterwards.

Angie: Yea.

Mama Z: So, bypassing that first part of the process is important, in case there was something there that could have been stirred up.

Dr. Z: Yea, a mammogram is never necessary.

Angie: No.

Dr. Z: It’s not necessary. And it can only cause damage.

Angie: Well, and I saw that in my own personal case. I know that there are people that are huge advocates for them, and that’s wonderful. I do believe no matter what you do medically speaking, you have to believe in it. You have to believe it’s working for you, or that it will work for you. But in my particular case, it was within weeks that that mass dramatically changed.

And I truly do believe that it was because of the compression and the pressure and the several different images that they had to take, the several different ways that they had to smush me. All of those things I really think aggravated that mass even more and essentially accelerated the growth of something.

Dr. Z: There are so many options.

Angie: Yes.

Dr. Z: And you know that now.

Angie: I know that now.

Dr. Z: I mean you are like an alternative cancer treatment expert at this point.

Angie: My own personal journey.

Dr. Z: You are.

Mama Z: And by fire in the hot box.

Angie: By fire.

 

[48:25 – 52:06] Conquering All Odds to Receive Your Victory

Dr. Z: So, things progressed. And not to give away too much, because I really want people to watch the movie. I really, really do. Again, go to HopeforBreastCancer.com. You can take advantage of the free screening, hear Angie’s story, and watch it. Obviously, she’s not dead. So, don’t like watch the movie and think like, “Oh, is she going . . . No, that’s not the point of the story.

Angie: Thank you Jesus!

Dr. Z: Yea, hallelujah!

Mama Z: Hallelujah!

Dr. Z: The story, like this story is about hope. That’s why we titled it that way. This is about how a woman bravely conquered adversity and all odds to go to a place where in Christ Jesus you received the victory. You received the victory even before you were told you were cancer free, by the way.

Angie: Oh yea.

Mama Z: Oh yes!

Dr. Z: And you talk about that a lot.

Angie: Yea. Well, you know, I think one of the big things that people miss in any healing journey, or in their diagnosis, however they want to word it, there is no one size fits all. And you can’t look at your doctor as if he’s your healer. Your doctor is human. And he makes mistakes, he or she. We’re all human. So, you can’t look at them like they are your saving grace. They’re not.

And I think the one thing that was really beneficial for me is just knowing and realizing my healing was going to come from above. There was nobody. That man could talk to me until he was blue in the face and give me a thousand suggestions. But if that wasn’t ordained by God, or that wasn’t the route I was supposed to take, then He was going to make sure that I didn’t.

And ironically, God was the reason why I chose to start traditionally. That was not what I had intended to do. You and I talked about that. You knew that wasn’t my path. I didn’t want to do it. But I had prayed, and I had asked God for signs. And He dropped them. He showed me. And I followed His path.

Dr. Z: Yea.

Angie: But you’ve got to keep Him first. You know that is such a big and important part, because modern medicine isn’t going to heal you, even natural medicine. You know, you see both sides of the spectrum. People are healed and cured on this end, and they’re healed and cured on this end. But where does that actually come from? And I believe it comes from above. God is the only person that can heal me.

Dr. Z: Amen!

Angie: These things can help.

Dr. Z: You had a divine customized treatment. And so, you know we have a program that we call “Beat Cancer God’s Way.” We actually get a little bit of flack for that from people that are like, “Who are you to say you can beat cancer God’s way?” You beat cancer God’s way.

Angie: I did.

Dr. Z: Like God had a plan for you. And I’ll guarantee it’s not going to be the same plan for someone else.

Mama Z: That’s right. We’re all different.

Dr. Z: You have to be so sensitive to the Spirit, because your journey is still continuing, right?

Angie: Yea.

Dr. Z: But it’s wild to trace back. It must be fun to watch the movie, by the way. And you’re like, “That really happened.” I don’t know how many times when I was editing with the film team, I’m like you were going through like a really kind of dark moment; like things were tough. I’m like, “I wish Angie could hear herself say this right there, because she would encourage herself.” You were your best cheerleader.

Angie: Yea.

Dr. Z: But to see you go through this, you did the exact thing that God told you to do. And you received the result.

Angie: Right.

Dr. Z: And to me, that’s what “Beat Cancer God’s Way” is.

Mama Z: And you know, one thing that was cool that we have mentioned, other than your blessing, was in that very first conversation, the reason why you had found this mass, too, was you were just going to start trying for a new baby. And that was on your heart. So, we started praying that day for this baby. And the doctor said that wasn’t going to be possible. And certain things weren’t going to be possible. But we know with God all things are possible.

Angie: Amen!

Mama Z: And so, I mean, the baby has had more prayer than any baby has ever had prayer possibly.

 

[52:07 – 1:00:44] Were There Warning Signs for Angie Along the Way? 

Dr. Z: You know what someone just told me upstairs before the interview here? We need to get this in the documentary. This is kind of cool. This is like I wish we could add things to the show. But about your doctor offering to freeze your eggs.

Mama Z: Yea.

Dr. Z: So, when you were diagnosed, he said, “Okay, pretty much . . . Tell us about that. Like wow! He just told me . . . this is kind of full circle here.

Angie: Yea. Well, you know, it’s really funny. Actually, going back even further, at twenty-three, I had, if you will, a cancer scare. They had found pre-cancerous cells on my cervix. And they pretty much told me, “You need to remove these.” Oh yea, that’s a long story. That’s a whole other podcast in itself.

Dr. Z: Wow!

Mama Z: It is.

Angie: It really is.

Dr. Z: Bonus episode two.

Angie: Yes. But what I will say about this is that was also a God thing. I was at a place in my life where, you know, I needed some changes and I do think God was moving there. But basically, they said, “If this continues, then we’re going to have to pretty much do a hysterectomy.” So, at twenty-three, they pretty much told me having kids was off the table.

And I was in a dark place in my life at that point. I had some things going on. Stress was really high. And I remember I went to bed crying one night, thinking I would never be able to have a baby. And that was my number one want in life. You know, like people want to be lawyers and doctors and singers. I really wanted to be a mom, more than anything.

Mama Z: So did I.

Angie: Yea, like more than anything, I just wanted to be a mom.

Mama Z: That’s so awesome, yea.

Angie: And I had had a dream about a little girl. And she said, “You know, I’m coming. The timing is not right. But I’m coming. So, just wait, be patient. And I saw this little girl, and I still see this little girl to this day. This little girl is actually running around upstairs right now. I’m sure of it.

Mama Z: I hear her.

Angie: And that was her. That was my daughter. I saw my daughter years in advance. But all of that to say fast forward. Here we are sitting back in the doctor’s office. And this doctor is looking at me saying, “We’re going to start chemo. It’s aggressive. We’re going to treat this. You may be on one end of the spectrum. We think you might be HER-2 positive; but I think you’re triple negative. And triple negative is the worst kind,” etc. etc.

And he said, “You know what? If you don’t freeze your eggs, you will never be able to have another baby.” And he goes, “You’re still young. You still have a little girl. But if you ever want to give her a sibling, this is what you have to do.” And I remember looking at them.

Dr. Z: Thus saith the Lord, right?

Angie: Yes.

Dr. Z: That’s tough.

Angie: It is.

Mama Z: And you have to remember that our doctors are practicing medicine.

Angie: Exactly.

Mama Z: And every day is a practice.

Angie: Well, I looked at that doctor. And I literally said, “God’s will is God’s will.” I said, “You know what? We’re going to go through a journey. We are going to go through a journey; I’m sure there will be hills and valleys. But I don’t want to go through another journey after we’ve come on the other side of this mountain.” I said, “You know, I have friends who have gone through in-vitro. I’ve watched the heartbreak of what they experience.”

Mama Z: Yep, me too.

Angie: And after going through this, I don’t want to go through that. So, if God only wants me to have one beautiful little girl, then that is what I was meant to do. I am blessed to be her mom. But I believe that God has bigger plans. And so, you may say one thing. He may say another. And I’m going to take His word.” And he’s like, “Well, you know, it’s kind of stupid.” I’m like, “That’s okay, that’s okay. I accept it.”

Mama Z: You kind of got used to giving that kind of response, though.

Angie: Yea.

Mama Z: You kind of perfected it a little bit because it got to the point where you could be a little bit more bold, because you knew that that was going to be the response you were going to get.

Angie: Yea.

Dr. Z: So, you never lost faith that you would be pregnant again.

Angie: No.

Mama Z: Oh no. And we prayed about it.

Dr. Z: See, I just talked to Felipe. And he didn’t have that faith.

Angie: No.

Dr. Z: And this is real, not a criticism. Like, again, you had been told by a professional.

Mama Z: You told me.

Angie: Yea.

Mama Z: And we prayed.

Angie: We did.

Dr. Z: He just told me. He said, “You know, I just came to terms.” He told me he just really fell in love with the fact that he was just going to have one daughter, and that would be enough for him.

Angie: Yea.

Dr. Z: So, he kind of gave up that dream. And it’s still even now, like how far along are you?

Angie: Five and a half, almost six months now.

Dr. Z: Yea, it’s still settling in for him, though, right?

Angie: Yea.

Dr. Z: It’s like, “Wow!” And this is a great story of faith overcoming fear, faith overcoming opposition, a woman’s faith to bring her family along. And to help and to see you and your husband and your family come together at this moment is just so beautiful, I mean full circle. It’s almost been two years since this journey started, right?

Angie: Yea.

Dr. Z: So, let’s talk a little bit about faith. The context to this was when the oncologist told you and advised you, “You better freeze your eggs, because you’re never going to have a baby.” And Felipe, your husband, is like, we had a conversation just a couple of hours ago. And he told me, he, at that point, resigned to the fact that he was going to be a daddy of just one. And he was cool with that.

Angie: Yea.

Dr. Z: But you never lost faith that you were going to be pregnant again.

Angie: No. You know, I always had just this vision that our family would at least be a family of four. And ideally, I’m going to go out on a limb and say it was actually a family of five; but at least a family of four. And I always had a little boy on my heart. I really did. And I just thought, “I just know God is going to come through. And I know He’s going to give us that.”

But it’s funny, because as we walked this journey together, I have watched my husband grow spiritually so much. And that’s been such a beautiful gift. And I actually told him on the drive down here, that if all of this was to bring him closer to God, then that was worth it. Like I would walk through fire if that would bring him closer to God. And I do believe that it did.

But, you know, we had literally just talked about the fact that, okay, it’s probably not going to happen for us. I still had it on my heart, though. And he’s like, “You know, we’re just going to be a family of three. And how great– when our daughter goes to school, child care costs are going to go down. We’re going to have all of this residual income.

Dr. Z: Only one wedding to pay for. We actually talked about all of that.

Angie: Yes. We’re going to be great. And he was so excited for our future. And I’ll never forget that, because it was New Year’s Eve of 2018, going into 2019. And two days later, I came home, and I took a pregnancy test, because something just told me to do so. And it was positive. So, God had bigger plans. God had bigger plans all along.

Dr. Z: After being told, though, by all your physicians . . .

Angie: After being told we would not be able to have children. It would literally be impossible. And even then, fast forward through this process. They still didn’t think it would be a viable pregnancy.

Mama Z: And we prayed. Every time we prayed, and we prayed so many times. But every time, we would always pray for that baby. In God’s perfect timing and in God’s perfect way, this baby would be here.

Dr. Z: And what did your obstetrician tell you, fifty/fifty shot or something less?

Angie: Yea, she pretty much just told me not to get my hopes up. But that week, she was guessing that I was probably six or seven weeks along. And she just said, “You know, for everything that your body has been through, you’ve been through a lot.”

And she said, “I’ve been trying to keep up with your journey. But after you left the traditional realm,” she wasn’t getting the reports anymore. And she said, “You know, just don’t get your heart set on anything.” And she said, “Honey, your body is just probably going to filter this out of your system.”

She said, “But the good news is if you got pregnant once, maybe in a couple of years you’ll get pregnant again.” And I just said, “No, I don’t agree with that.” And she said, “Well, you know, we’ll have to see.” But again, God had bigger plans. And this was all a part of it.

And again, too, it’s funny, there have been so many trials in my life, where I think, “Okay, what is God trying to teach me? And what could possibly good come from this? Like what could be on the other side of this pain?” And it’s like He’s always delivered and exceeded any expectation or thought that I could possibly have had.

And I called this baby my rainbow baby. I know people have different meanings for that. But we had a lot of rain. We had a lot of rain. And this was God’s promise. And this was my rainbow.

Mama Z: Absolutely. Well, and I remember I was coming home. And I was backing in the driveway, and I had like no kids with me, which never happens ever. I think they had already gone inside or something, or they were with you. I can’t remember what happened. And you were like, “I have news.” And I’m like, “You’re pregnant!” It was so awesome.

Angie: Yea.

Mama Z: And I got to find out before Felipe.

Angie: She did.

Mama Z: And we prayed.We prayed.  It was awesome. It was so cool.

 

[1:00:45 – 1:04:39] The Impact of Hope on Your Healing Journey

Dr. Z: So, you never gave up hope.

Angie: No.

Dr. Z: And you never gave up hope of healing, that God would show you the way. I mean that’s why we titled the documentary, Hope for Breast Cancer.

Angie: Yea.

Dr. Z: It’s not a cliché. I mean, what would this look like? Without hope, what do you do?

Angie: Well, exactly. And that’s been really fascinating for me, because fortunately, writing a blog and people sharing that, which is so wonderful of them to do, I’ve had a lot of people reach out, who are either on their healing journeys, or they’re caregivers of people that are. And you hear all of these different things.

And it’s really sad, because you can tell which journeys someone is keeping their faith as their focus, and you can tell which journeys people are literally just giving in to that fear. And it’s almost like life and death start in the tongue. I believe that a hundred percent.

Mama Z: It’s in the Scripture.

Angie: Yes. And so, it’s like you have to. There are so many people that don’t believe, and that breaks my heart. But I do believe that there comes a moment where I look at people and think, “What is it going to hurt you if you try?” If you reach out and you pray and you ask God to reveal Himself to you, what it’s going to hurt you? Because I think what could happen to you is really going to be miraculous, when you let Him take over.

I gave God this journey. I trust in every step that He has of it. I have from the beginning. And I have praised Him through every storm. And I have leaned into Him when there was no other option. And that’s funny, because during my last visit to Hope4Cancer, nobody could come with me. And that was so rare. People had come with me on this journey. There was always somebody right with me.

Mama Z: Right. 

Angie: And nobody could make it. And so, I literally just had this moment where I thought, “Okay, it’s me and You, God.” Like this is all I have. I can’t be distracted by anything or anyone. It’s just me and You. And ironically, when I got out of the airport, which that’s a funny story in itself. My luggage was lost. I was trying to speak in Portuguese to these Spanish-speaking attendants.

Dr. Z: Oh, I didn’t know that.

Angie: Oh, it was really comical, actually. I was an hour late. I was worried I didn’t have my international phone plan. It was a mess.

Dr. Z: Ah!

Angie: But the second I walked out, there was a rainbow. And I’m like, “Okay, You’re in control.” And every single day that I was there, and things were maybe uncertain, or we didn’t know what was going on, you have moments of despair. But you can’t stay there. And when you pray, you find out you come out of those really quick. But when I saw that rainbow, I knew. I knew that God was in control.

And I’ve heard Him speak to me so many times throughout this healing journey. It has been crazy. You know, like He told me months, months ago, that I was healed. I actually woke up from a treatment that way. I don’t know if I ever told you that. But I was in treatment at Hope4Cancer. And I had fallen asleep.

Mama Z: Which treatment?

Angie: This was actually infrared therapy. I had fallen asleep. And literally I heard him say, “You are healed.” And it was like He touched me. And I remember my body jolted, and my eyes opened, and the light went off.

Dr. Z: Hallelujah!

Angie: It was like the simultaneous thing, where it was like, “You are healed.” Boom! And it was like, “Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!” And I remember I called my mom as soon as I got back to the hotel. And I said, “I heard for the very first time, for the very first time I actually heard the Lord speak to me.” And I hold on to that promise.

You know, we don’t know when our healing comes. And we’re all on our journey home. If we are being honest, we’re all on our journey home. But I just believe that God has bigger things in store. And I told Him to utilize me. Like, “I’ll give anything and everything. If this is for your glory, I’ll walk this walk, because I know that you are blessing every step. But just use it for yours.”

 

[1:04:40 – 1:12:24] Let Your Pain Serve a Purpose

Dr. Z: You’ve been so gracious with this process. Like you’ve given this documentary, this story. Here’s my life come and go. And you’ve been . . . Just thank you for that. I mean . . .

Angie: Thank you guys! I mean honestly, I forgot so many things along the way, because I think I was so . . . It was an out of body experience for me. The last two years have literally been an out of body experience. So, the fact that you’ve shared in my journey and have been such integral parts of my healing. I’ll never be able to thank you fully for all that you’ve done. Just know that.

But know that I pray for you all immensely every night. My daughter prays for you all the time. Our whole family just lifts you guys up in prayer. But it’s just been amazing to see how God did shield me from those things. And it has healed my mind and healed my thoughts from any of those dark moments that I had been in. They were so temporary. And that’s been such a gift in itself.

Dr. Z: And you were always committed. In looking back at some of the footage, it’s interesting. You look back at some of the footage and you see different thought processes, and you see different evolutions of thought. But you were always consistent with one hope, (1) that God is going to be there, and He’s going to heal me; and (2) I’m going to make this worthwhile.

Angie: Yea.

Mama Z: Right.

Dr. Z: And you were determined, though, to have purpose from the pain.

Angie: Yea.

Mama Z: Yes, yes.

Dr. Z: And not to let this be lost.

Mama Z: Well, and that was the coolest part, because when we decided to give a portion of our master class to something like this, I remember we did it because of your situation, so somebody else wouldn’t have to walk some of the things that have been walked that we’ve seen in our family. But we did not know that you were going to be picked out of a stack of papers as the perfect patient for this journey. So, that was like so cool, because it was like because of you. But then you were chosen, too.

Angie: You know, that’s how God . . . I mean all of it is all God. And I’ve played through that over and over in my mind, to think about how you and I became friends and have continued to be friends so many years along the way, and moves to different states. And I just think that God is so good, and He is so real. And if this journey can show people that . . . I mean you’re right. We prayed this baby into existence. We did. This baby had been prayed for and believed in. And, you know, I mean God provides.

Mama Z: Yes. And our hope is in Him.

Angie: There’s nothing else it could be.

Dr. Z: Yea.

Mama Z: That’s right.

Dr. Z: We should put a little context to that, because we don’t actually cover this in the documentary on purpose. We didn’t want anything that we did to take away from your story. So, actually we took a lot out from the original cut.

But like Sabrina mentioned in January 2018, we launched our very first Master Class—”The Essential Oils for Abundant Living Master Class.” And it reached 155-ish-thousand people. And it was unreal; like, “Whoa!” And it was overwhelming. And we crashed servers. This is my story, if you guys heard our previous podcast, where I worked forty hours straight without sleeping.

Mama Z: Yea, you slept in my closet.

Dr. Z: Yea. It was just crazy.

Mama Z: Obviously the carpet looked really comfortable or something.

Dr. Z: Yea. So, you know, that was also everything that we had into that, too. Like we were in a position where we did everything. We invested all of our time and our money. We actually had . . . I didn’t say this before, but we had like three maxed out credit cards, and every penny that we could get to invest into this project. And it came out, and it was very fruitful. And we were just having suffered the loss of your good friend, you brother-in-law, my grandma. And a friend, you, just recently diagnosed. And we were like, “We’ve got to do something.”

Mama Z: Yea.

Dr. Z: And so, we just said, like, “We are going to give.” And so, we cut a check to the Independent Cancer Research Foundation. Like, look, we just want to help send someone to the Hope4Cancer Clinic. And that was it. That was a business matter. I’ll just tell you, I was thinking, “Cool! We’ll write it off.” Like I got my charitable donation.

And then once we started talking to the clinic, Marci, actually, Marci Jimenez, and the Hope4Cancer crew, and also someone from the Independent Cancer Research Foundation, it was like God spoke to me. It was on the conference, and He said, “You need to document this.” Like, “Okay, what does that mean?”

Mama Z: So, he asked me, “What do you think about documenting a journey?”

Dr. Z: I had never done a documentary before. I had never produced a movie. And now, it’s like who would want to do that? Who would want their life to be an open book? Because we wanted to see the good, the bad, the ugly, and the real. And so, that’s how this came about. Like this was just solely to help, to give back. And that’s a hundred percent what it was. To now see Hope4Cancer partner with us, a non-profit partnering with us, and now more organizations that want to get behind this, it’s like who would have thought?

Mama Z: Yea.

Dr. Z: It’s becoming a movement. And there will be millions of people that are going to watch this film. There will be, I believe, tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people coming to Christ, because it is a hundred percent Christ-based.

Angie: Amen.

Mama Z: Yea.

Dr. Z: And from that to be where we are today, it’s like we’ve become ministry partners. So, thank you. I mean really, because we knew nothing. God blessed us, and we did what He says. We gave back to the body of Christ. And like Sabrina said, the stack of papers, you called it.

Mama Z: Yea.

Dr. Z: When we submitted to the Hope4Cancer, there were several people that were interested in this opportunity, your application was just top. It was like top of the list, and like this woman is perfect. She is the perfect candidate for non-toxic treatments.

Mama Z: And I was thinking, “But she’s got a child.”

Dr. Z: I know. I mean there’s that.

Mama Z: And then I was like, “Would you even consider that?” And like, “Do you want to talk to Eric?”

Angie: Well, and you know, it’s so funny, too, because when people hear about practices outside of the United States, there are a bunch of red flags that go off.

Dr. Z: Yes.

Mama Z: Right, because you do not want . . . it’s definitely like we had talked about. You’re thinking, “Is this like a rickety table?”

Dr. Z: Well, Cancun just made international news because of a gang shooting.

Angie: Oh yea. There were many.

Mama Z: Right before we left.

Angie: Yes.

Dr. Z: It was a big deal. Like, “Whoa, you’re going to go to Mexico?” Like we’re going to get shot. That was a fear people were having.

Angie: Yea, I think literally, because looking back, I left a day apart from a year ago, like one year and one day ago today.

Mama Z: Yes.

Angie: From today.

Dr. Z: Hallelujah!

Angie: Yes.

Dr. Z: I was trying to piece that exactly together.

Angie: Yea. So, a year to the day, I actually was on my way to Hope4Cancer. And I remember my husband had sent me an email. And he’s like, “Look, twelve people were decapitated, and their heads washed up on the shore of Cancun.” He was like, “You think I’m going to let you go?”

Dr. Z: Wow!

Angie: And I was going by myself. One of my good friends was going to come with me for the first couple of days. And then Felipe would eventually come out for several days after that. But he’s like, “I’m not going to let you go by yourself.” And he’s like, “At least if I were there, I could speak Spanish for you. I could translate. I could make sure that you stay safe.” And I said, “You know what, Felipe? We grew up just outside of Detroit. There are bad things that happen everywhere.”

Dr. Z: Yes.

Angie: “It doesn’t matter where you are. Anything could happen to anyone. And I just have to believe that I’m wrapped in favor.”

Dr. Z: Yes.

Angie: “And that my steps will be guarded and protected and I’m going to be just fine.” I said, “Plus, it’s a day’s worth of treatment. It’s just like a full-time job.”

Dr. Z: Yes.

Angie: And so, think about this way. Somebody is going to take me to the clinic. I’m going to be watched while I’m at the clinic. Somebody is going to take me back to the hotel.

Dr. Z: Yes.

Angie: And I said, “Chances are I’m going to be tired. Or I’ll make friends. Like I don’t plan to leave the premises. I knew their spot.”

Mama Z: Right.

Angie: Don’t tell him I did.

Mama Z: Yes. You did go to a restaurant.

Angie: Yea, I went to that restaurant that we had to walk to. But I mean it’s funny, because the perception and the reality are two different things; whether that be your perception of medical treatments outside of the country, or taking a non-traditional approach compared to a traditional approach. Perception and reality are two different things.

 

[1:12:25 – 1:15:59] Life at Hope4Cancer Clinic

Mama Z: And that clinic is beautiful.

Angie: Oh my gosh!

Mama Z: Talking about the experiences is awesome.

Angie: And the culture is beautiful.

Mama Z: Yes.

Angie: I mean, like I said, there are bad places no matter where you go in the world. But it’s sad because I feel like people sell themselves short and don’t take advantage of things because of fear. And really, if you think about it, that’s how medical practice works. It’s all fear-based. That white coat tells you something, “This is what you have to do.”

I know that first-hand. That’s kind of how my ball got rolling, because somebody in a place of authority told me, “Hey, you have to get this checked out.” I’m glad I took a different path. I’m glad that eventually I gained my own voice, and I found my way. But it was God. It was God’s voice that I heard.

Dr. Z: You know, to me it would be worth it just to spend three weeks at a place where you could disconnect and know that you are in a place that supports and prays for you. It supports your faith. I remember I went to the Hope4Cancer Tijuana clinic and I spoke there. I did an in-service lesson to the doctors about how to use essential oils. And I also spoke to the patients. And we spent all day there. And I was touched. I was touched just to see how rooted Christ was in that organization.

Of course, I know Dr. Tony. I know Marci. When we met them actually at The Truth About Cancer charity gala in Nashville. And I remember the very first time I met them, we prayed. Like that’s how I met them, in a circle. I’ve seen him on documentaries and things. But we ended up praying, and I just felt such a strong presence of the Lord from this beautiful couple.

And they invited us over. And he said, “I’m a great admirer of your work. I would love to have you speak to my patients and my staff.” And so, when I went there, the one thing that touched me there . . . Of course, the treatments are great. I mean they’re non-toxic. They’re awesome treatments.

Mama Z: And there are lots of different modalities used, which is great.

Dr. Z: And the thing that touched me, there was talking to these people. And yes, I heard like healing stories, like incurable brain cancer. This woman was in four months, five months in recovery, in remission. Like, okay, that’s cool. But the common theme was Christ, Christ, Christ. And the place was like a sanctuary. I guess that’s the only way I could call it. It’s like a sanctuary. At least it was in Tijuana. In Tijuana, you’re not tempted to leave outside the door like you are in Cancun, by the way.

Angie: It’s different.

Dr. Z: Yes. I’ll never forget. I had never been to Tijuana, especially where the whole experience of going through the border. And we were in like the “medical lane” getting out from the border. It was like, a friend of mine calls . . . I hope this isn’t offensive to Mexicans, but my friend calls Cancun Mexico Lite. Like it’s not really like Mexico. It’s like the Americanized version of Mexico.

Mama Z: Well, yea. And where that is, it’s like in a resort area.

Dr. Z: Yea. So, the Hope4Cancer Clinic is in a nice strip where all the resorts are.

Mama Z: It’s not . . .

Dr. Z: I’m glad you mentioned that because my heart dropped. I’m like, “Oh man! There are shootings going on.” But just like us, we live in Atlanta. Shootings all the time and abductions.

Mama Z: Oh yea.

Dr. Z: I hate to say it, but this is like the sex-trafficking capitol of the world. We had a friend, our special friend who didn’t want to come down, because she was afraid of that. Like she heard in the news.

Mama Z: Right.

Dr. Z: You know, she’s from country. And she’s like hearing in the news, “sex trafficking in Atlanta.” Like she didn’t want to come visit us. Like no one is going to steal you. Come on!

Mama Z: Yea.

Dr. Z: But it’s awesome. You never lost the hope.

 

[1:16:00 – 1:25:57] More Insight into Angie’s Journey

Angie: Yea. You know what I just think is so cool, though? What I appreciate that you were able to follow in my journey was that seeing is believing for a lot of people.

Dr. Z: Yes.

Angie: And so, we hear all of these stories about people who have healed their rare brain cancers and breast cancer and every type of cancer you can imagine. But we just hear them. You don’t see it. It’s very easy for somebody to come up and give you a sales pitch, and you believe it.

But to have actually walked that journey, have it documented, have it filmed, where you see the highs and lows, and you catch the good days and the not so good days, that’s when you know that this is a viable option. And this really can help you, and it can heal you.

Mama Z: Right.

Angie: And understanding, too, again, that there is no one-size fits all cancer treatment. It’s not just traditional. It’s not just holistic. You can combine the best of both worlds. But mentally, spiritually, emotionally: that’s the most important component to all of your healing.

Dr. Z: Yep.

Angie: You have to have that front and center, and then everything else can fall into place.

Mama Z: Yes.

Dr. Z: That’s a great point to reiterate what I mentioned last episode. We haven’t talked a lot about the integrative approach. But folks, Angie just didn’t go into the woods and chew on tree bark and howl at the moon.

Angie: I would have done it.

Dr. Z: You would have? But she did a very integrative . . . You did what, five rounds of chemo?

Angie: I did.

Dr. Z: Five rounds of chemo.

Angie: They wanted six, but I did five.

Dr. Z: You didn’t do radiation. You did a ton of nutrition, essential oils. You went to Hope4Cancer. You got all their non-toxic treatments. See, that’s the thing. That’s why people . . . You know, one thing we put together . . . Of course, people can go watch the documentary for free. It’s a free screening. You go to HopeforBreastCancer.com.

But what we did was, for people that buy, we put together a really sweet gift package. Yea, of course, you get access to the documentary. But a video package that people can watch and see all the treatments and explain them in depth, because it’s a little intimidating.

Like what am I going to do? It’s very . . . Can you give us a little insight into . .   . I know Felipe talked to me about that. Like what are they going to do? He actually said on the documentary, “I don’t know what they’re going to do.”

Angie: Yea.

Dr. Z: Like were you hesitant, excited? Like these “crazy treatments,” what was your experience with that as a whole?

Angie: You know, maybe I’m the oddball out. But I was excited. You know, they would be like, “This is a new cutting edge.” And I’m like, “Sweet! Do it!”

Dr. Z: Sign me up.

Angie: I was so excited! I will totally be your guinea pig here. No, everything had been tested prior to. But it’s stuff like that. What I liked is everything was customized to the patient itself. So, while we were all receiving very similar therapies, the approach, the amount of all of that was different. So, I appreciated that.

But going into it, you had some fears, basic fears of things like, “Oh, what is the full body hypothermia going to be like? That sounds pretty scary. Or hyperbaric chamber sessions. That has a different ring to it, too. So, you kind of don’t know how you’re going to feel. But ironically, you felt energized. You would leave at the end of the day feeling just full of life and vibrant. And those weren’t things that I felt leaving a traditional setting. I didn’t feel that way for several days after receiving a traditional treatment.

So, it was really cool to see how I could integrate both. And I continue to. Even after my time at Hope4Cancer was up, and I came home and continued on with my natural therapies that were prescribed to me there, I was still doing immunotherapies that were prescribed by a traditional doctor. So, finding that perfect “best of both worlds.”

But people are so afraid. They’re afraid of what that feels like. They’re afraid of what that could possibly do. I know in many cases, my traditional doctor was really hesitant about allowing me to do both. And one thing you and I talked about is pray over it. And if you feel the need to do it, do it.

And so, there were things that I took into my own hands, but realizing and being accountable for this is what I’m going to do. Please respect it. You’re my doctor. I appreciate your opinion. But this is also my life and my healing. So, we’re going to have to come together. And if not, there are thousands of other doctors in this world who might see it my way.

Dr. Z: Amen. Juicing isn’t going to kill you.

Angie: No.

Dr. Z: Like it’s never contraindicated to juice, to eat healthy, to exercise, to use essential oils.

Angie: No. But the funny thing is they will tell you otherwise. You have to press. And that was my biggest eye-opening moment. Right off the get-go, I sat with my doctor, and he had five to ten minutes for me. Well, I made that five to ten minutes turn into forty-five to an hour. He was not going to get out of there unless I asked every single question. And the story would eventually unravel.

It was like, “Eat whatever you want, cheeseburgers, milk shakes, French fries. You need to put on weight. We don’t want you to lose weight. Chemo is kind of a wasting treatment, if you will. It’s going to eat up all of that.” And I’m like, “Really?” And he’s like, “Oh, and no antioxidants. You don’t want to do that. It’s counterproductive.” And I’m like, “So, should I give up berries?” “No, those are fine.” “Should I not eat oranges? Is vitamin C bad?” “No, that’s fine. But don’t take vitamin C, and don’t take antioxidant type supplements.”

And I’m like, okay. And forty-five minutes later, then I got his true answer. “I’m not trained in nutrition. It’s not going to hurt you. But think about it this way. Those sorts of things cause healthy cells to thrive. And it’s our fear that they will cause the not so healthy cells to thrive as well.” And I said, “Well, I’ll take my chances.”

Dr. Z: “I’m not trained in nutrition.” It’s not a criticism.

Angie: No.

Dr. Z: When you have a medical emergency, you go to the medical doctor.

Mama Z: Yea, when you put the car door through your eye, you totally went to the medical doctor.

Dr. Z: I got into an argument with our car door. Eight stitches later, lavender wasn’t going to heal me, y’all.

Mama Z: But we did put some on.

Dr. Z: We did. That helped reduce the inflammation. It helped speed up the process and helped with the pain. There are so many different ways. I know we have to land this ship here in a minute. Why? Because we have now probably nine children upstairs. We have three families. We’re celebrating you being here.

Mama Z: Four families.

Dr. Z: Four families here, actually; four families. So, we’re just so grateful that you came here. I can’t wait, because we haven’t even seen what the end credits look like. I can’t wait. Chris, are you back there, of course?

Chris: Yes sir.

Dr. Z: Hey, can we introduce Cheryl? Cheryl, you’ve got to be louder.

Cheryl: Hi!

Dr. Z: Chris and Cheryl, the power duo.

Mama Z: Yes. The Christ duo!

Dr. Z: Chris, as you all know, if you’ve been listening, our video/audio extraordinaire. And he recruited his wife to be part of this one. A lot of cool stuff. Actually, we’ve got to get you both on the show one day. Now that we’re doing interviews, we’re opening up a can of worms. Anyway, we’re just so thankful that you’re here. I’m very excited, Chris, to see what we’re going to put together with these end credits. It’s going to be beautiful.

Mama Z: Yea, no pressure.

Dr. Z: No pressure, Chris. It’s going to be powerful, listening to Angie sing. Folks, I hope you’ve enjoyed these little bonus episodes of the Natural Living Family Podcast. This is truly to honor Angie’s journey, her integrative faith-filled, how to beat cancer God’s way journey. And we are on the other end of it right now with her. And Sabrina has been with her every step of the way.

We’ve documented this. And you have a chance to hear and to see and to watch next month, by going to HopeforBreastCancer.com. You get a free screening because you will be inspired and encouraged, educated, and entertained. Because one thing we haven’t talked about enough is Felipe. Everyone seems to love Felipe. Like he’s the voice of reason.

Angie: He is.

Dr. Z: He’s like, “What do you mean? You’re eating this way. You’re going here. You’re doing that.” Like he’s just the normal dude that everyone can relate to. And me, and you, and Sabrina, we’re kind of cut from a similar cloth. “Okay, I’ll do whatever you tell me to do. Let’s do it.” So, Angie, I just want to give you—you, too, baby—last minute thoughts, encouragement, love.

Mama Z: Yea. I want to know if there is a song or anything you’ve got on your heart that you want to share.

Dr. Z: You’re going to put her on the spot like this?

Mama Z: I am.

Angie: Oh, my goodness! You know, it is so sweet of you to do such things to me, because you know how I really like to just sing off the cuff.

Mama Z: I know.

Angie: You know, I’m going to let that wait until the end credits.

Mama Z: Okay.

Dr. Z: Good.

Angie: Because I just feel like that is going to be a good time to let my voice be heard again.

Mama Z: Okay, do it.

Dr. Z: Well, thank you for sharing your voice. Thank you for making the trip down here. I really appreciate it.

Angie: Thank you guys so much for having me.

Dr. Z: What else is on your heart? What do you want to say?

Angie: I just want to thank you guys, literally from the bottom of my heart. God has just done so many special, beautiful, wonderful things within your family. And how you’ve blessed us is immeasurable. I can’t even begin to explain the hope that you brought to our family. When we talk about hope and faith, that also spawns from you all. You know, you guys have lifted us up in prayer and you have walked this journey with us.

And you know, I always tell people they need some Z’s in their life, because the journey is much different. And so, you know, if anybody is on a healing journey and they’re concerned or they’re scared, go to your faith, and find friends that are spiritually like-minded. And just give it to God, because none of us know. We all like to know the end of the story before we get to the end of the book. But just turn it over to the Creator, and He’ll write it for you.

Mama Z: That’s right. Even a mustard-seed size of faith moves mountains.

Angie: It does.

Dr. Z: I would love to end in a word of prayer.

Angie: Okay.

Dr. Z: Can you begin?

Angie: Oh my gosh!

Dr. Z: And then we’ll all pray.

Angie: Sure.

Dr. Z: We’ve each got to pray. And we probably can’t circle the microphones. We’re in the Spirit. And you, me, and then you can finish?

Mama Z: Okay.

Dr. Z: All right, hallelujah!

 

[1:25:58 – 1:30:43] A Moment of Prayer

Angie: Father, God, I just come before you today just so thankful for this opportunity to be able to share my story with others. But most importantly, Lord, I am just so blessed and thankful that the Zielinski’s have been a part of my journey, that years and years ago that you connected those dots, and you brought us together, and that they’ve been a part of this healing journey. 

I pray that this documentary, this podcast, everything that they do, Lord, touch and inspire people to just take control of their own health and take control of their own destinies and don’t accept the standards of what’s given to them. Don’t believe everything that is said. You are the author, the originator, the Creator of our destiny and our journey, Lord. And we give that to you. And I thank you from the bottom of my heart for walking with me every step of the way. In uncertain times and the darkest of times, you have always brought light to those situations, Lord.

So, I just pray and I prophesy over anybody who is struggling. Anything that they’re feeling, Lord, may you grant them peace. And Lord Jesus, I pray that they find people just like Eric and Sabrina, that can pray over them, and mentor with them, and guide them and guard them on their journeys. Lord Jesus, I just thank you. I thank you so much for your grace, your love, and your light.

Mama Z: And God, I just speak to the people who are going through this battle right now. And I pray hope for you. I pray that your hope is in Him, in Christ Jesus. And I just thank you, God, for each and every person that has to walk a journey like this. And even as a caretaker and other people involved, you’re all part of that process. And we know that God is always willing and able to perfect those things that concern us. 

And so, just give it over to Him—God; for it all to be laid in His lap, because ultimately, He is the author and finisher of our faith. And we know with Him all things are possible. And we know with Him, all things, not some things, work to good for them that love God and are called according to Your purpose. And we are all called according to your purpose. 

And we know that the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives within us. And that power is able to not only heal, is able to just close every wound and bind every heart. So, I just thank you, God, over each and every person that is going through this process, or starting this process, or after this process, God, of healing, that You are with them. And You are right there beside them the entire way.

Dr. Z: Father, we just thank You for this golden opportunity that You have given us to live today, in this day and age, where, Lord, we can reach millions of people. It’s just unbelievable, Lord, the reach that we can have, and the impact that we can do and have on the kingdom. 

And Father, we lift up to You this documentary. And we ask, God, that it will bring people to the saving knowledge of Jesus, because we know that He is the Way, and the Truth, and the Life, Lord. We ask that our story, Angie’s story, all the stories of our brothers and sisters in Christ, the testimonies, will ring aloud and make people recognize that without Christ, we’re nothing, that the debt for our sins was paid on the cross, and that when we truly surrender our lives to You, Lord, believe in our heart and speak with our mouth that Jesus is Lord, we’re saved. 

But not just that, we have an abundant life, a life of purpose, a life of mission, a life of ministry. Lord, that You give us the promise to be healed, to be whole, spirit, soul, and body. Lord, may even this podcast and the people listening, if anyone doesn’t know Jesus, Lord, may You just prick their heart, You’ll draw them to your Son, You’ll cocoon them in Your love. 

And then again, everyone watching or listening to the documentary will encounter You, Father; that You will just sweep them off their feet and let them know that You are love, and that You love them so much that You sent Your only Son to die for them. We bless You. We thank You. 

We lift up to You the people right now that need healing. We speak healing and life. Lord, may there be justice in the areas where there is injustice when it comes to treatments, when it comes to miseducation, when it comes to fear. Lord, that You will just make a way and You prepare in people’s hearts to follow Angela’s advice, to take a moment to breathe and make decisions based off of praying. Lord, thank You for guiding people. Thank You for helping people. Thank You, God, for stopping this epidemic of cancer and sickness and disease. Amen!

Angie and Mama Z: Amen!

 

[1:30:44 – 1:32:10] Natural Living Tip: Test and Hold Fast

Mama Z: And to wrap up today’s show, we have a natural living family tip for you.

Dr. Z: Well, one thing I hope that you recognize in the interview with Angela was that Angela tested all things, and she held fast to what was good. That is a commandment from the first book of Thessalonians. And I want to encourage everyone to take hold of it. Regardless of what it is, this is a tip for business, for family, for health, for every aspect of your life; because if we don’t test all things, we’ll never know what’s truly right for us.

And what we saw Angela do, and what we are seeing Angela do, even up to the current day, is beating cancer God’s way, because she questioned, she prayed, and she only wanted God’s best for her life. So, take a moment. And whatever it is that you’re looking into with life, if you are at a crossroads or a crux, if you’re at a chasm; maybe a canyon seems in front of you, and you don’t know how to get across.

Before you just jump right in or dive in, pray, test. Just don’t do what your doctor says immediately. Just don’t do what your financial advisor says immediately. Just don’t do what anyone says immediately. First, take a minute and ask God if this is the direction you should be taking for your health, your wealth, your family, and every aspect of your life.

The best advice, one of the most overlooked commandments in the Bible: “Test all things, and hold fast to what’s true.”

 

[1:32:11 – 1:32:44] Special Invitation: Hope for Breast Cancer

Mama Z: Don’t forget the free screening of “The Hope for Breast Cancer Documentary” starts November 6.

Dr. Z: Simply go to HopeforBreastCancer.com (that’s h-o-p-e-f-o-r breast cancer dot com), and you’ll get instant access to some behind the scenes footage and some other sweet goodies while you wait for the film to premiere.

Mama Z: And please share this with a friend. The information and hope shared in this film could be a world of difference for someone in need. God bless!

 

[1:32:45 – end] Episode WrapUp

Dr. Z: Well, thank you for listening. And we hope you enjoyed this special show with our dear friend, Angie.

Mama Z: Absolutely!

Dr. Z: As a reminder, you can find all of the Natural Living Family podcast episodes, show notes, and transcripts on NaturalLivingFamilypodcast.com. While on our website, don’t forget to sign up for our weekly podcast newsletter, which includes a personal invite to join our private Facebook group, where you can connect with Mama Z and I and more than five-thousand other natural living lovers just like you.

And don’t forget, please subscribe to the show and leave a review. We love hearing what you have to say and sharing the review before we start each and every episode. Well, as always, this is Dr. Z.

Mama Z: And Mama Z.

Dr. Z: And our hope and prayer are that you and your family truly experience the abundant life. God bless!

Mama Z: Bye, bye!